Middle East

How big is Gaza and how many people live there?

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank make up the Palestinian territories.

People standing outside a school in Gaza.

A number of displaced citizens in Gaza have sought refuge in schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees. Source: ABACA / Middle East Images/PA/Alamy

Key Points
  • The Gaza Strip is a 12km-wide enclave between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • In about half the area of Canberra live an estimated 2.1 million people.
  • Its population density is 6,507 people in every square kilometre on average while Australia's is 3.5 people.
The Gaza Strip, centre of the world's attention as Israel and Hamas fight, is a 12km-wide enclave between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.

For context, 12km is about the distance of a direct route from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the runways of the city's airport which extend into Botany Bay, or Flinders Street station in Melbourne to Altona Beach.
A map of main border crossings in Gaza
Gaza's main border crossings.
Its length, 41km from Israel to a border with Egypt, is slightly shorter than the distance of a marathon race and about as far as Coolangatta in northern NSW is from Dreamworld on the Gold Coast.
A chart showing the size difference in square kilometres between 365km Gaza Strip and 814km Canberra.
The Gaza Strip is less than half the size of Canberra in terms of km². Source: SBS News
Within the 360 square kilometres of land, about half the area of Canberra, live an estimated 2.1 million people. That's more than four times those living in the Australian capital, or about as many as Brisbane.
A graphic showing the populations of the Gaza Strip (2098389), Canberra (456692) and Brisbane (2628083).
The Gaza Strip has more than four times the population of Canberra. Source: SBS News
This makes the Gaza Strip one of the most densely populated places on the planet, with 6,507 people in every square kilometre on average, around the same as Hong Kong. Australia's population density is 3.5 people per square kilometre.

The median age is 18, according to the CIA's World Factbook, while Australia's is 37.5, and the life expectancy at birth is 75.66 years. Afghanistan is the world's lowest at 54, Monaco's the highest at 89.64 years, and Australia in 14th at 83.28 years.
A bar graph of the age of Gazans, showing that four in 10 people in Gaza are under 15, and less than 3 per cent of Gazans are 65 and over.
The median age of Gazans in 18 years old. Source: SBS News
When considering both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, four in 10 people between 15-24 are jobless. In Australia, it's one in 10.
A bar graph comparing unemployment numbers in Gaza and Australia, showing nearly seven in 10 young women in Gaza are jobless, and unemployment in people aged 15-24 is among the highest in the world in Gaza.
Source: SBS News
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2 min read
Published 19 October 2023 5:20pm
Source: SBS News

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